Mursi calls for support for Syrian people; rules out military action

Aug. 27 - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi tells Reuters the Syrian people must be freed from the clasp of the regime. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.

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Egypt's newly elected president Mohamed Mursi told Reuters Monday that there is no more room for talk of reform or dialogue between the Syrian president and his opponents to end bloodshed.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT MOHAMED MURSI SAYING:
"The ones who will decide what to do with this regime are the Syrian people and the Syrian people have spoken clearly to the whole world that this regime has to go. So it is not up to us when we hold a dialogue as nations supportive of the Syrian people's movement and their revolution and their right to freedom and stability and an end to bloodshed -- when we speak about that we are not speaking about a dialogue between two sides or reform, but we are speaking about supporting the will of the Syrian people for the need for change and the necessity for the regime to depart."
He said he could not support military intervention
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT MOHAMED MURSI SAYING:
"We are against any military action on Syrian soil, in any shape or form. We want to intervene using peaceful, effective and efficient means to enable the Syrian people to achieve their goals from this revolution and this movement for freedom."
Mursi was elected in June after another Arab strongman, Hosni Mubarak, was ousted from office last year in a popular uprising,

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